Cabernet Sauvignon: Exploring its richness and Complexity.

Arriving at a high-end restaurant 🍴, the servers always rush over and ask:

“What kind of wine would you like today?”

Often feeling flustered, unsure of what’s on the wine list. To be honest, knowing the grape variety is all you need really!

Today, the grape 🍇 you must know about:

“Cabernet Sauvignon”

Are you the one always thinks of ”Oh my, I hear about this grape so often 🍇, but don’t know its characteristics and flavours.”

Don’t worry; you are in the right place. I am going to tell you some elements about this variety! However, if you want to know about Pinot Noir, you can click here!

There are 4 important things to know from this grape variety:

Aromas and Flavours (Young/Old)
Characteristics
Country and Regions (Old World/New World)
Food Pairing

1. Aromas and Flavours (Young/Old)

Cabernet Sauvignon has Black cherry, Blackcurrant, Cedar, Toasted spices and Pencil shavings, etc.

Remembering these words give you an edge over 80% of people.

Of course, if we break it down further, there are young wines and old wines.

Young wines have the following Cabernet Sauvignon flavours:

Black cherries, Cranberries, Star anise, Cedarwood (Is it different from cedar? I’m not sure), Dark chocolate, Toasted spices.

Actually, I often taste green pepper and black currant.

Old wines’ Cabernet Sauvignon flavours include:

Tobacco, Cedar, Dried cherries, Fig, Hibiscus flowers (I’m not sure of its taste either.), Milk chocolate, Mexican chili (Is it different from Taiwanese chili?)

Actually, you can recall flavours that you remember and think about what they resemble in everyday life.

But if you remember all these flavours… everyone will definitely think you’re a master among masters.

2. Characteristics

The characteristics of this wine are:

Body—High

Fruitiness—Moderately high

Acidity—Moderately high

Alcohol—Medium

Tannins—Moderately high

This grape has thicker skins, deeper color, and heavy tannins, making it very suitable for aging.

However, due to its bitterness, it’s often blended with other varieties (such as Merlot or Cabernet Franc) to balance it out.

3. Country and Regions (Old World/New World)

Important countries to recognize! Knowing the countries is crucial because it helps understand where this grape variety thrives.

Cabernet Sauvignon’s most famous Old-World region:

France – Bordeaux (Left Bank)

The five key New World regions to remember for Cabernet Sauvignon:

Chile USA – Napa Valley Australia Argentina South Africa

Have you all noticed? Cabernet Sauvignon is grown in nearly every country. This shows it’s a very adaptable grape variety.

It’s also observed that it seems more suitable for warmer countries.

5. Food Pairing

Based on the wine tasting notes mentioned earlier, considering the heavy tannins of this grape:

Pair this wine with:

Red meats
Steaks
Dishes with tomato-based sauces
Soy sauce-based dishes (like braised dishes)
Cheese

Heavy tannins naturally pair well with fatty red meats like steak, braised meats in Chinese cuisine, and various cheeses. However, they can be too overpowering for fish and dishes prepared with lighter cooking methods.
Winenote

Here’s an introduction to Cabernet Sauvignon.

Next time you visit a steakhouse, don’t forget to order this variety!

I enjoy American Cabernet Sauvignon with steak because it has an especially robust flavour.

Finally, do you like Cabernet Sauvignon? if you like, tell me why and which country or region you like the most?

– END –

Shireena's wine Blog